


Giant Gremlins

by ShadowTouch



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bookstore AU, Get Together, M/M, Mudane AU, alternate universe- no downworld, fuff, jace hates ducks, roomate to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 01:19:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12354456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowTouch/pseuds/ShadowTouch
Summary: Alec doesn't like anyone, except for Magnus.





	Giant Gremlins

**Author's Note:**

> Note this is a mix of both the TV and Book reality though neither are required to understand the story. I own nothing the characters belong to their creators and it was inspired by a writing prompt found online.  
> Un-betaed

Alec didn’t like people. He hated crowded areas, too many people, too much noise. That’s why he avoided them. His store was small enough that despite the regular flow of customers it never got too crowded. 

“Sllllluuuuuuuurrrrrpppp! Pop! Come on. I’m going to find a flavor you like but you have to actually try it” His roommate nagged, shaking his smoothie in Alec’s face.

Smiling he took another sip of his own drink. That was one part of his life he never imagined. Magnus Bane.

 

During his time at college, working on his business degree, he ended up rooming with a design major. They nearly killed each other during the first quarter, being polar opposite personalities. Magnus wore his sexuality like a rainbow cape, while Alec hide his beneath faded sweaters. Magnus parties his nights away, while Alec pulled all-nighters studying. Isabel honestly thought her parents would get a phone call saying that Alec or his roommate had killed each other during midterms. 

Alec bringing Magnus to their weekly sibling lunch was not what she planned for. 

The reason for Alec’s unexpected plus one. Magnus had finally realized that his girlfriend Camille had been using him for her climb up the social ladder, all the while cheating with anyone she could. Alec had locked Magnus in their room for the whole weekend eating junk food and letting him cry himself out before expressing that he would help Magnus deal with his bitch ex in any way, except letting him get back together with her. A one-time lunch to get away from campus turned into Magnus regularly joining them. Magnus and Izzy bonded over how no one else in their lives got fashion. And Jace grudgingly accepted the man who was able to drag Alec out of his room more than once a week.

After graduating Alec ended up using his savings to buy a bookstore from Jace’s girlfriend Clare’s stepdad. Luke was happy to set up a long term payment system with Alec to help make sure he wouldn’t go broke buying it. Happy in knowing that someone who cared about the books would take over.

Somehow Magnus and him never really stopped living together. Over four years of being school roommates their things got so mixed that when Alec moved into the flat above the store Magnus just sort of ended up moving with him, and it never really changed. Magnus got a job at the fashion magazine he had interned at Junior year and Alec slowly fixed up the bookstore with his sibling’s help. There was a section of the store that had been blocked off by shelves for storage. Sorting through those old books allowed him to move everything to the back room and free up a large portion of floor space. Alec was then able to put in a seating area for customers and people who wanted to consult with him to find rare books for them.

Still Alec rarely interacted with people much outside the store, his family, or Magnus. Hell, it had taken him months to accept Jace’s girlfriend Clare in to their circle, despite them being together for over a year. 

He didn’t like large groups of strangers. Any crowded place: malls, parks, parties, they just made him anxious and stressed until he could get somewhere quiet again. He had made this clear to everyone who knew him.

 

Which was why he couldn’t understand why Magnus had dragged him out to the mall. It was too loud and bright. Maybe that was because he hadn’t left the store in a few days. There had been a new delivery of novels that he had had to sort through and it had taken a while. Someone had not packaged them properly when they shipped, while nothing was damaged, the books hand shifted in the box and the inventory sheet was missing. Making his job that much harder until he could get a new list sent by the company. He supposed that he had been stress over it despite knowing that it had left his control until he would get a new inventory sheet sent.

Looking around there was just and endless mass of people moving, shoving, going everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“Giant gremlins everywhere.” He muttered, wanting to return to the quite of the flat or at least somewhere with less people, like the park they went to the other week.

Glancing over at Magnus who had been slurping a smoothie, now stared at him with the straw in his mouth and eyes wide with shock.

“Not you, I like you.” He stated and turned back to the moving current of people glaring when the swelling mass moved too close to where they were perched on a bench. 

“?” Magnus’ eyes grew even larger. 

Why did it have to be a mall? Why couldn’t they have gone to some place like the park or a café, at this point he would let Magnus take him to the shore side with the tourist stretch. It was cold enough that there would have been no families with loud children, while still pleasant enough to enjoy the view.

“Gremlins?” Magnus half stated half questioned. “Lord, Jace was right I need to get you out more.” Then he added as an afterthought “And keep you away from Simon”.

“Hmmm” taking a sip of the blended fruit he contemplated the taste. It wasn’t great, too much kale overpowered the drink but it was hardly the worst thing Magnus had gotten him to try.

“Are people really that bad?”

He thought for a sec “No, but in settings like this it’s just too much to ever be pleasant.”

“Well, did we find you a drink at least?” he asked accepting that Alec wasn’t going to explain the gremlins comment.

Taking another sip to confirm his first impression then responding “Nope” popping the p.

Letting out a good natured sign “Fine, we’ll try the next thing on my list. I’m not giving up yet”, turning to face the barista who had made the smoothie “Sorry, Maia no dice.”

“Really, damn I thought we had it this time.” Maia said as she wiped her hands off. Her naturally curly hair was tied up with a bandanna that matched the orange apron tied around her hips where she wiped her hand. “See you boys around.”

The two of them got up and started walking off, Magnus grabbing his hand to help lead him through the currents of people. Exiting on to the street Magnus steered them off down the city streets before ducking into a park. Finally, settling on a bench the two relaxed to watch the ducks swim in the pond.

Alec snapping a picture and sending it to Jace knowing that he would get Jace’s predicable rant against the water fowl with in ten minutes of him seeing it.

“So, why aren’t I a giant gremlin?” Magnus inquired.

Alec gave him a confused look “I told you, ‘I like you’.” with a soft smile Alec inter laced their hands. “That and you are too sparkly. You’re more like a pixie, leaving glitter dust everywhere.” Bringing his hand up to brush some stray gold off Magnus’ cheek. 

“Hahahaha” Magnus broke down giggling. Once he regained control he declared “Well, in that case I like you, too.” 

“Good”

Ten minutes later their first kiss was interrupted by Jace’s rant about the demonic presence of ducks in this world.

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism/advice is always welcomed. Unnecessary hate is not.


End file.
